Since the pandemic erupted in 2020, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has been hunkered down in a virus-free bubble within his country’s closed borders.

On Thursday, he left the safe confines of the mainland for the first time, arriving in Hong Kong for a tightly scripted visit aimed at reinforcing his authority over the city. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by schoolchildren and supporters who waved flower bouquets and small Chinese and Hong Kong flags as they stepped off a highspeed train at the sealed-off West Kowloon station to begin a two-day visit.

Lion dancers performed as the neatly ordered rows of greeters chanted, “Warmly welcome, warmly welcome.” Xi’s decision to visit Hong Kong despite a recent rise in Covid infections in the city underscores the importance of signalling his control over the former British colony.

This is Xi’s first time in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protesters mounted a serious challenge to Beijing’s rule in 2019 that roiled the territory for months. In the years since, Xi has enforced a sweeping crackdown on dissent, with the arrests of thousands of people, including leading Opposition figures, lawmakers, academics, newspaper editors and a retired Catholic bishop. For many residents, the crackdown sent a chill over the city, transforming it beyond recognition. Xi, in a brief speech upon his arrival, sought to strike a positive note about the city’s “brighter future”.

“Hong Kong has withstood one severe challengeafter another, and overcomeone hazard after another,” hesaid. “After the storm, HongKong has been reborn fromthe ashes, showing flourishingvitality.” Xi has not left China in29 months. His absence hasbeen increasingly conspicuous, especially as a flurry ofdiplomacy arose in responseto the war in Ukraine and theensuing political, military andeconomic fallout. He called invia video link to a meeting ofthe Group of 20 in December;he sent a written statement toNovember’s climate meetingin Glasgow.

He has yet to meet President Biden in person. The inward turn points inlarge part to Beijing’s preoccupation with protecting Xi’shealth ahead of an all-important Communist Party congress later this year where heis expected to claim anotherfive years as China’s leader. But for Xi, taking a victorylap in Hong Kong is crucial toasserting his vision of national rejuvenation, in which the party restores China to what he regards as its rightful placeas a global power.

“Even though he has not been away from mainland China since early 2020, Xi thinks that, in terms of both his prestige and popularity,it would be good for him to visit just for several hours,” said Willy Wo-Lap Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong,referring to local news reports that Xi would not stay in Hong Kong overnight and would instead travel back to the bordering Chinese city of Shenzhen.

New York Times News Service